Backsliding is when a born-again believer in Christ turns back to sin or becomes stubborn in his heart and refuses to submit to the will of God in his life. The outward actions are only symptoms of the real problem -- the attitude of the heart -- which must be dealt with in order to change the actions.Backsliding is like carnality, in that your own desires and devices are acted out as opposed to God's will (I Corinthians 3:3; Proverbs 14:14).What Scripture Says"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place" (Revelation 2:4,5)."If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9)."Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25)."When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you" (Luke 15:17,.18)."...let him turn to the Lord...for he will freely pardon" (Isaiah 55:7)."I will heal their waywardness and love them freely..." (Hosea 14:4).Does God Condemn Backsliders?God does not condemn us -- our own wickedness and backsliding do that (Jeremiah 2:19). Nor did Jesus come to do so, but to give us life abundantly (John 10:10). Therefore, if you will confess your sins, God will forgive you (I John 1:9). Accept His forgiveness and then forgive yourself.Forgive those who have wronged you. Go to anyone you have wronged or resented and ask their forgiveness. Make restitution in whatever ways you can for any wrongs your backsliding has caused. If you are not baptized with the Holy Spirit, ask for and receive it (Luke 11:13). Then grow in Jesus and the way of the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives a Christian the ability to overcome sin. He gives power to be a Christ-like person. He guides, comforts, teaches spiritual truth, and equips with the gifts and qualities of God (Acts 1:8; John 14:16; I Corinthians 12; Galatians 5:22,23)

Why Would God Want to Hang Out with a Bad Person Like Me?

Hey, none of us are perfect. In fact, the only perfect person was Jesus Christ. We all fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23) and have sinned. For a long time I didn’t like that word “sin” but it became a whole lot more palatable when I understood it didn’t mean I committed heinous acts, but simply made mistakes, and these mistakes or lack of perfection, (which is unattainable for all of us humans ), separated me from God. No matter how hard I try, I will never be perfect. No one’s perfect, not even Christians, and don’t let them tell you they are.I also thought the Bible was full of perfect people and only those people were “qualified” to have relationships with God, but in fact that is also not true. The Bible is full of imperfect people (Moses and David, for example, were considered pillars of faith) who did sin, but still had close relationships with God. Perfection has never been a pre-requisite to hang out with God, only a desire to meet and know Him.But since we are all human, we do like to put on a “good face” and make it seem (or pretend) like everything is just fine. It’s kind of like when someone asks you how you are and you answer “fine” but in reality your world is crashing down around you. It seems easier just to wear the mask, or put on the “perfect act.” People are fallible human beings, regardless of their faith affiliation.In addition to Moses and David, there are lots of stories in the Bible about all kinds of folks with checkered pasts and poor decisions, many of which I can identify with; stories of lust and greed, promiscuity and hanging out with the wrong crowd.But the great news is that God loves me anyway, and wants me to be His best friend. No matter how “bad” you think you think you are God would love to hang you with you.

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